Hegemony of Periphery States
History The Beginning In the beginning there were eight lone souls who carried with them an idea and a vision for a new way of life. Leaving the Browncoats in search of a better home Flyingscotsman, Veneke, Mechanus, Asriel Belacqua, Kodiak, Straightupnobull, Atoms and Theoroshia eventually founded the Hegemony of Periphery States to reflect their desire to remain on the very cusp of civilization. On March 27, 2008 the Hegemony was established, creating a refuge from the turmoil in the centre of the CN world, out here on the fringe. The Hegemony becomes a Nuclear Power On July 13, 2008, Councilor of Defense john k announced that the nation of Earnomah been fully successful in the production of the Hegemony's first nuclear weapon. This historic event was celebrated throughout the Hegemony with much fanfare. Future plans include bulk-ordering of those big-red-buttons for the command center. The Hegemony enters Global War V On August 15, 2008, the Hegemony of Periphery States entered Global War V by declaring war against the Grand Global Alliance and Valhalla on the basis that the latter's usage of tech-trading with a P-ZI nation as a casus belli for war crossed the IC/OOC line and was an obvious demonstration of tyranny and aggression against Hyperion. Despite having many treaties which should place HPS on the stronger side of the global conflict, the government took the decision of supporting Hyperion and the weaker side because it was the right thing, rather than the safe thing to do. This action earned the praise from many on Planet Bob on both sides of the conflict.http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=31275 It was also noted that this declaration marks the first time in Cybernations a casus belli was identified as being so atrociously bad (GGA's) that it was used by another alliance as a cause of war. Approximately two days after entering the war, M*A*S*H, citing an economic treaty, declared war on the Hegemony. During the war, the Hegemony's one nuclear weapon was destroyed by enemy spies, and a rogue member launched a nuclear strike at the Mechanus, Hegemon of Defense. The Hegemony surrendered to M*A*S*H on August 18 to reasonable terms after the majority of its members were sent into anarchy. Exodus and Renewal The government, war and subsequent surrender was unpopular amongst many members of the Hegemony. In the subsequent weeks, several members left for other alliances, including five who went on to found the Federation of Unified Confederate Nations (FUCN). Others still were lost to inactivity. A decision was taken to re-write the Code of the Hegemony, re-draw the organizational structure and adopt new policies to improve the alliance for those who stayed. With these steps taken, the remaining members of the battle-scarred, and desperately weary Hegemony, looked forward to a brighter age. Goals Our goals are simple: to grow and prosper inside a friendly and devoted community. Also, we obviously seek friendly relations with other alliances, but have been often chastised for speaking our minds, just a bit too much, when caution and silence would have been more prudent. Through our active, Technology based economy, we endeavour to develop the members of the Hegemony, sustaining that growth through completed and stable Trade Guilds, and finally, by making that worth doing by having a community inside Cybernations whose bonds go beyond the game itself. The Code of the Hegemony Introduction We've all come here from different places, but that means very little here. What matters is that by joining, you have pledged an oath to your peers to hold to this Code. In return, you now can consider yourself part of our family, and we will take very good care of you. Our goals are simple: to grow and prosper. Friendly relations with other alliances are also desirable. By using technology rings and trade guilds, both in-house and with other alliances, we hope to grow into a strong, respectable alliance. The Bedrock Principle Reality always comes first. We recognize that Cyber Nations is a game, and will always strive to accommodate your real-life needs and obligations with no complaint. For us to do this best, we ask members to keep us informed of extended absences. The Government The Government consists of three democratically elected Ministers and a single monarch known as the Hegemon. The Ministers serve for six-month terms, while the Hegemon maintains a lifetime position. The roles and jurisdictions of the members of government are outlined as follows: Hegemon The leader of the Hegemony, solely responsible for the long term planning of the alliance, and quality control of its internal communications and processes. *''Portfolio includes: justice, internal communications, elections, referenda, maintenance of the history and Code, branding and thematics, membership requirements.'' *''Approves, but cannot draft policy changes pertaining to a Minister’s portfolio.'' *''Reserves the right to draft and implement alliance-wide policy changes that do not fit into a single Minister’s portfolio.'' *''Reviews and signs treaties.'' *''Reserves the right to review alliance-wide broadcasts via in-game messaging, before release.'' *''Reviews all internal and external communications for accuracy, self-consistency and suspends if appropriate.'' *''Receives one vote on wartime decisions (including the decision to go to war)'' *''Breaks deadlocks on wartime decisions.'' *''Decides judicial action, when appropriate, which is binding.'' *''Makes suggestions on long-term planning to Ministers, which are not binding.'' *''Tracks and prioritises ongoing projects.'' *''Participates in operational activities.'' Ministers Responsible for the development of internal practices and management of operational activities. *''Portfolio includes:'' **''Foreign Affairs: treaty development, securing tech-trading agreements, approves target lists, OWF policy'' **''Defence: military structure, assignment of squads and leaders, drafts target lists, drills, military awards and promotions, warchests'' **''Home: trade-circles, aid distribution, community development, orientation, website maintenance, tech-trading, civic awards and promotions'' *''Drafts and implements policy changes for their portfolio.'' *''Single point-of-contact for all things in their portfolio.'' *''Responsible for operational activities within their portfolio.'' *''Receives one vote on wartime decisions. (including the decision to go to war)'' *''Drafts and signs treaties (MoFA only)'' *''Drafts, approves and implements projects for their portfolio.'' *''Participates in operational activities'' The Combined Government (Hegemon and Ministers) Responsible for declarations of war, declarations of peace, and the use of nukes and spies. Membership So, how do you join, and what happens after that? It's simple enough. You apply to join on our forums, and we'll ask you a few questions before masking you as an Initiate. During this time, you'll be expected to read up on some guides, ask questions, and get to know your new community. After a certain period of time as a member, and after you meet the following criteria, you'll be able to become an Adept: #The member must be enrolled in the HPS Economic Corps and be in good standing with the Advisor of Homeland Affairs. #The member must be in the Hegemony more than three (3) weeks. #The member must be active, to some extent, either on the forums and/or IRC. #The government must conclude that the member in question has been a positive influence on Hegemony life. If you meet these four criteria, you're a fully fledged Adept, and so will get first preference on resource and tech trades, as well as first dibs on aid. You also get to see what's going on in Foreign Affairs and other such things too. All members are expected to help out the Ministers by participating in operational activities in propaganda, recruitment, trade management, diplomacy, military leadership, or wherever you think that you'll do the most good. Members who join us and are never heard of again may find themselves asked to leave. Elections Elections for Ministerial positions are open to any member to run, and everybody is expected to vote. They must be held on the first week of February and August. Candidates announce themselves the weekend before voting. From that weekend until such time that the Hegemon is satisfied (a minimum of three days), the candidates field questions from the general membership. Voting commences at the Hegemon's discretion and continues for two whole days before update. During the whole voting process the existing Minister is expected to continue in his duty. Impeachment Any Minister may be impeached from his or her position. Any member, of Adept and above, can propose a motion to impeach a Minister. All such proposals are done in secret and any and all evidence is forwarded to the Hegemon. The Hegemon reviews the evidence and can decide whether there is a case for said impeachment. If the Hegemon does find that a case exists then he is to publicly announce the charges, evidence and resulting punishment if applicable (which may include impeachment). The person who referred the case is not named under any circumstances whatsoever. Loss of Confidence The Hegemon must maintain confidence of 50% of the Hegemony. At any time, any member can publicly declare non-confidence in the Hegemon. An immediate single four-day vote four-day vote is held bearing the question: “Do you have confidence in the current Hegemon?” In the event that the “No” votes exceed the “Yes” votes by update, the Hegemon is immediately removed from power and the vacant position is immediately put to a new election. Absolutely no reprisals against the declaring member before, after or during the confidence motion will be tolerated, and if the majority of Ministers find any evidence of such a reprisal, it will result in immediate demotion of the Hegemon without vote. Says the Hegemon on this: “It’s safe to say if more than half of you think I’ve overstepped my boundaries or done a poor job, I’ll be quite happy to step down, no hard feelings. You can call me out on the main board if you like, or do it in private and I’ll throw up a confidence motion with your identity anonymous. I get no pleasure from leading people who think I’m doing a poor job.” Retirement A government member can retire at any time. Ministers may appoint a replacement until their term is completed and therefore subject to election. (note that this is not applicable in the event of Impeechments) Hegemonial replacements may only be elected. Departing the Hegemony If at any time you feel like the Hegemony isn't right for you, or if we feel that you aren't right for the Hegemony, then you can leave or will be asked to leave with no hard feelings. If you do decide to leave, however, we will be forced to collect any outstanding debts you owe. Nukes, Spies and Wars 1. Nuclear weapons are to be used in retaliation only. Even here nuclear weapons clearance must be given by the Combined Goverment. Member nations are encouraged to develop and maintain nuclear weaponry to help defend the Hegemony of Periphery States. 2. Use of spies is to be cleared by Combined Government. 3. Wars aggressive in nature are decided by the Combined Government. Wars defensive in nature are to be met with full rigor and every available resource in defense of the Hegemony of Periphery States or her allies. Tech raids must be approved the Minister of Defense. Ammendments Any Adept, or above, can propose a change to this document. Changes require the support of the Hegemon. Treaties Historical Government Pre-Global War V Post-Global War V 3rd Term note: The original Ministerial line-up had Veneke as Minister of Defense and Theoroshia as Minister of Homeland Affairs. On the 12th of September, at Kodiak's (then Hegemon of HPS) insistence, the portfolios were switched, and Veneke changed the title to Minister for Home.